Thursday, June 25, 2009

Public speaking should not scare you to death, but the truth is, it is the number one fear for many people.

Personally, after watching the movie Jaws when I was a kid, I can't think of anything worse than being chewed up by a shark! However, it is important to recognize than the anxiety caused when we have to speak in front of others can be overcome.

Hiring a Communication Coach can help you deal with this properly, so you can enjoy your public speaking, whether for business or social functions.

2 – Stick to what you know well, so you can ‘talk’ about it at length, with ease.

3 – Ask lots of questions of the event organizer ahead of time, to find out the size of the room, equipment, expected number of attendees, etc. Visit if possible.

4 – Talk to people in the audience before you speak. If you have a chance to meet some of them before the speaking date, or at least before your talk try to mingle a bit and find out what they expect. It is good to have a few allies in the audience, and it is great for you to know what they expect to hear.

5 – Reduce ‘separation anxiety’ by reframing the speech as an ‘informative conversation’ within a group. Talk to them, not at them.

6 – Prepare point-form notes or cards and practice a lot with family, friends, etc. No sentences. The less you read the better. Add pictures to your notes.

7 – Remind yourself during to slowdown, pause, breathe, relax and smile. Actually write those words in the top right-hand corner of your notes on different pages.

8 – Research as much as you can ahead of time, so you can be THE up to date expert on the subject of what you are talking about. Anticipate questions and have good answers.

9 – Always relate directly to your audience. It is not about you, but them. Making your speech relevant to your audience and their world is key to their enjoyment and interest.

10 – What is the overall focus? Is it to inform, to entertain, to motivate, to shock your audience? Your whole speech needs to be centred around this vision.

BONUS # 11 – To become a good public speaker and presenter, you simply must do a lot of speeches or presentations, long or short, in your personal or professional life. Tips and techniques help, but there is no real shortcut.

We like to include work experience and educational and training positions that are available for initial or re-training individuals interested in specific careers or skills.

Recent post on the Jobs Across Canada Blog

If you're looking to start a challenging and interesting career as a Nova Scotia boatbuilder, contact our Training Coordinator.

The Training Coordinator will help you find boatyards who are looking for employees. Once you find employment your first responsibility will always be to your new employer. As an employee of the boatyard, you will be responsible for getting your work done on time and to company standards.

Once you have been employed for a minimum of three months, a representative from the NSBA Training Department and the NS Department of Labour and Workforce Development - Apprenticeship Training & Skills Development Division will be registering you as an Apprentice.

During these initial visits, the apprenticeship program will be explained to you and you will receive a NS Boat Builder Apprenticeship Logbook. Each Logbook contains the Certification Pathways Assessment Results Sheets and Evidence of Competency Sheets.

For each unit outlined in the pathways, there is a workbook. You will be required to purchase these workbooks at a cost of $45 plus GST each. You will use the Evidence of Competency sheets to record your progress of learning for each skill set. Each time you feel that you're learning a new skill, and can perform this task competently and consistently, ask your Mentor to check your work. If he or she is satisfied, they will record this in your Logbook.

A representative from the NSBA Training Department will visit you and all the other Apprentices quarterly to review your progress. It is up to YOU, the Apprentice, to track your progress and learn new skills. The Registered Mentors are there to help train you, and the Training Coordinator is there to offer support, but it is YOUR responsibility to keep track of your progress - and learn new skills.

If you are interested in receiving your Nova Scotia Boat Builder Certificate of Qualification and becoming a Certified Journeyperson, please contact either Chip Dickison or Chantel at 902-423-2378 for more information.

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

I hope this blog is exactly what you are looking for. I plan to regularly add information, tips, free resources and articles relevant to accent reduction, English fluency, international business and culture, among other topics.

As a Communication Coach and Trainer in Toronto, Ontario Canada I deal a lot with people from different backgrounds and different levels of English fluency. It is part of my job to help ESL (English as a Second Language) students, immigrants, overseas company executives and managers etc. improve their overall ability to speak English with native speakers like myself.

This allows them to feel more at ease, gain more confidence in interviews and at the office, develop friendships and professional relationships quickly and also integrate faster in their new city.